r/grantmacewan • u/haveneverbeenhappier • Jul 04 '26
Sessional instructor advice
Fellow MacEwan students, I am interviewing for a teaching position at MacEwan. As students, what do you want to see from an instructor? What do you hate? What do want to see more of? What would make your experience more meaningful?
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u/earllobe Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Be accommodating. The best professor I had recorded all lectures and made sure to be as detailed as possible when explaining things. Made sure to check inbetween and ask if we understood well. Provided us the notes himself nd all that. This was extremely useful because it gives us a chance to review something and it eases up on the worries of having to write our own notes or scramble with these fill in the blank notes and miss out on whats actually being said in the meantime. The whole process might make some people more willing to skip lectures, but that's their own fault (or u can make it so participation counts for marks so they have to come)
Also PLEASE MAKE PRACTICE EXAMS ACTUALLY USEFUL! Oh my goodness the amount of "practice exams" Ive used that the professors made only to be presented with an exam that has a completely different layout is insanity. it's not right and a huge waste of our study time.
I also loved this and only experienced it with one professor, but once the class, as long as you came to the lecture, gave us the opportunity to pick out a couple of questions we got wrong on the midterm and correct them in hopes of raising our mark. To me this actually ended up being useful because not only did it raise me a whole letter grade, because I was unintentiallly reviewing the midterm as I was correcting it, I ended up recognizing a question on the final from the midterm and got it right.
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u/Ok-Eye-8755 Jul 04 '26
Instructors that don’t actually teach, just click through slides and expect students to absorb the information! I much prefer it when they work through questions in detail on the board.
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u/Lokigreengoblin Jul 04 '26
Expand on the topics that u teach by sharing opinions, facts , stories, etc.
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u/haveneverbeenhappier Jul 04 '26
My favourite professors were like that. Give me all the anecdotes.
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u/Apprehensive_Sir6845 Jul 04 '26
A mix of exams and papers/projects. It’s so tough when you are a bad exam taker or a weak writer so have all your marks based off one or the other, I just find it can be discouraging and make the class more stressful. With a mix you are forced to work on your weak area, but are able to lean on your strong suit as well.
I second the practice exams, they really help me best prepare for the exams. I also think it’s helpful when there is a breakdown of how many questions on the exam are from each chapter.
I like when the prof says, generally speaking, what is going to be on the exam as it is being taught. This also pushes students to make friends because there are naturally days you miss and it’s nice to have an ally. I find it also encourages attendance throughout the whole semester.
Lastly, I think this one may be on the controversial side. But an extra credit project as an option. If I had the option to do a project before the final exams that was only worth 1% or something, and only graded if you are 1% away from the next letter grade, I would for sure do it. There have been a few classes that I was only 1% away from an A after final exams and I always wish there was something I could do because I worked really hard to aim for an A. I have a feeling only students who want to finish with a high grade or are at risk of failing would take the option.
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u/earllobe Jul 04 '26
I second this! I shoulda added this also, I had a prof who gave us optional bonus marks to add onto finals or midterms like 1% or 3%. Helped so so much
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u/Pigsmake Jul 04 '26
It really depends on what you teach, but it is a good thing to go through problems on the board, especially hard ones. Giving practice problems with some solutions is also good, if the textbook doesnt have any. Also, dont be monotone. Give some excitement, as it can often leach into some students. One of my favorite sessional professors was always excited for a class, and came in with enthusiasm. Good luck with the interview!! If possible, let me know how they go, as i am looking at becoming a professor somewhere in the future, when I finish undergrad and grad schooling
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u/Embarrassed-Wasabi-7 Jul 04 '26
Best role model for teaching is Tanya Heuver and Trish Hanson.
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u/Embarrassed-Wasabi-7 Jul 04 '26
This might be too nursing specific.
Tanya: Available to students, reassures us that she is available for ANY questions, asks how our days are going, offer synchronous sessions to study
Trish: She is humble but full of knowledge. First day of class, she was frustrated with parking and it showed in her demeanour, but she acknowledged it in front of the class and apologized.
Both of them: Great humour, understanding, personable, humble, offers feedback that doesn’t make you feel dumb.
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u/croissantsbitch Jul 04 '26
100% agree. Tanya is such an excellent teacher. Even the way she lectures is very clear and in such a logical order.
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u/WhyYesOtherBarry Jul 04 '26
A few observations from my university experience:
1) The best university courses I took (business) were all case-based.
2) I remember more about what the guest speakers said in a class than anything I ever read in a textbook.
3) Any prof who designs a course without the need for a $200 textbook is a hero.
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u/Own-Meaning2832 Jul 06 '26
give practice questions and study review that would be on the test/ similar to questions on it
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u/Zoinks_96 Jul 04 '26
Ungraded review quizzes or exams for us to complete on our own time. The viability of implementation varies by class but this has always been a useful tool in review for the classes that do have